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May 2004
Friday, May 28, 2004
In this Issue:
Russian scientist dies from Ebola needlestick
ICU physicians save hospitals
money, save lives
Global Healthcare Exchange
members launch UPN initiative
Given Imaging selects Zarlink ultra low-power
wireless
technology for its swallowable camera pill
China says SARS vaccine volunteers doing well
Abbott Vascular Devices unveils
the
StarClose Vascular Closure System
St. Camillus selects
Johnson controls
for operations and maintenance
HPN wishes you well this
holiday weekend!
Russian scientist dies from Ebola needlestick
A Russian researcher has died after sticking herself with a needle containing the Ebola virus, said her organization. The lab accident occurred on May 5, when Antonina Presnyakova was conducting research on Ebola, said a spokeswoman for the Vektor State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology outside Novosibirsk in central Siberia. Efforts to save Presnyakova failed and she died May 19 at a special hospital located at the center. Research and medical personnel who were in contact with Presnyakova during her treatment will remain under observation for three weeks. Vektor was conducting research on the Ebola and Marburg viruses to develop vaccines for the diseases. Along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vektor is one of only two places on earth with official stockpiles of smallpox.
ICU physicians save hospitals money, save lives
Even hospitals with small intensive care units (ICU) would save money by implementing the intensive care unit (ICU) physician staffing standard, according to an article in the June issue of Critical Care Medicine. “Using conservative cost estimates, annualized savings available to hospitals with small, six bed ICU are $500,000, a 12 bed ICU $2 million and an 18 bed ICU $3 million,” said lead author Peter J. Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care, surgery, health policy and management, as well as medical director of the Center for Innovations in Quality Patient Care at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. The figures include the salaries of the ICU physicians, or intensivists, who are board certified in a medical specialty such as surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, or anesthesiology, and have received special training and subspecialty certification in critical care. They are dedicated to the ICU and remain on the unit for the duration of their assigned coverage. The Leapfrog Group's intensive care unit physician staffing standard requires ICUs to have a dedicated intensivist present in the ICU at all times during the day and immediately available at night by pager. Implementation of dedicated intensivist staffing in non-rural American adult intensive care units is estimated to save 162,000 lives annually. A targeted survey of hospitals revealed that dedicated intensivist staffing is currently employed in only 10 percent - 20 percent of U.S. ICUs. “In addition to reducing costs, intensivist staffing has repeatedly proven to be one of the most effective critical care interventions,” said Dr. Pronovost. “It reduces hospital mortality by 30 percent.”
Global Healthcare Exchange members launch UPN initiative
Providers, suppliers, and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) participating in Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX) have launched a collaborative initiative to expand the use of Universal Product Numbers (UPNs) in the healthcare supply chain. The initiative is designed to help all members of the healthcare supply chain increase their use of UPNs, whether they are just getting started or already capable of transacting business electronically with UPNs, and will include several pilot efforts involving both buyers and sellers. UPNs, which uniquely distinguish products at a specific unit of measure, are considered fundamental to the effective use of barcoding and other electronic product identification technology designed to improve patient safety, inventory management, and supply chain efficiencies. Linda Nicoletti, Project Manager for 3M Health Care, is assisting with efforts to measure the value of UPNs to both buyers and sellers, using the Six Sigma process employed by 3M, General Electric, and many other leading healthcare organizations. More than half of the organizations represented at the GHX Content Summit agreed to adopt, implement, and/or leverage UPNs in some capacity, depending on technology and business practices; a smaller, core group will participate in the pilots.
Given Imaging selects Zarlink ultra low-power wireless
technology for its swallowable camera pill
Zarlink Semiconductor announced that Given Imaging Ltd., maker of a swallowable camera capsule for diagnosis of disease of the gastrointestinal tract, is now using an ultra low-power transmitter chip from Zarlink in its M2A capsule endoscope. The M2A capsule consisting of a microchip camera, light-emitting diodes that act as a flash, Zarlink's RF transmitter chip, antenna and two silver-oxide batteries is swallowed by the patient and then passes naturally through the digestive tract. The camera's images are relayed by the RF transmitter to a data recorder in a belt worn by the patient, who is free to continue with normal daily activities throughout the exam. Data is then downloaded to a workstation equipped with proprietary image processing software, and a video of the gastrointestinal tract is produced revealing pathologies and diseases of the small intestine that were previously undetected by traditional diagnostic tools. Published medical articles conclude that capsule endoscopy has a higher diagnostic yield than traditional, invasive methods in diagnosing patients with gastrointestinal disorders of the small intestine, including Crohn's Disease and small bowel cancer. Given Imaging's capsule endoscopy technique has already been used to diagnose thousands of patients in the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia.
China says SARS vaccine volunteers doing well
China says four volunteers are in good health, several days after being injected with an experimental vaccine for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The official news agency, Xinhua, reported Wednesday that the three men and one woman, all university students, have been undergoing blood tests and temperature checks since their injections on Saturday. China says it is the first country to test a SARS vaccine on humans. All four volunteers are to be monitored over the next six months. They are the first of 36 volunteers to test the vaccine. All of them are between the ages of 21 and 40. It is not clear when the next round of injections will take place. Scientists caution that even if these tests are successful, it will be at least a year before a SARS vaccine is ready for the general public.
Abbott Vascular Devices unveils the
StarClose Vascular Closure System
Abbott Vascular Devices, a division of Abbott Laboratories, announced the unveiling of the StarClose Vascular Closure System, a circumferential clip-based vascular close device, at the 2004 Paris Course on Revascularization (PCR) held in Paris, France. StarClose features a Nitinol(TM) clip that is designed to promote the primary healing process to achieve a secure close of femoral artery access sites following diagnostic or interventional vascular procedures. This clip provides 360 degree tissue apposition for rapid healing and immediate hemostasis. StarClose received CE Certification in February 2004, and is available for sale in the European Economic Communities. The device requires only four clicks to achieve a secure, “extravascular” close, which means that nothing is left inside the artery itself. The clip closes the closure site entirely from the outside of the vessel. The StarClose system allows physicians to close the artery through the introducer sheath; and allows the interventionalist to use the same pathway established during the catheterization procedure to deliver the StarClose clip directly to the puncture site. StarClose is currently an investigational device in the U.S. and is not available for sale.
St. Camillus selects Johnson controls
for operations and maintenance
St. Camillus Health System, Inc., a Catholic non-profit long-term care provider in Wauwatosa, WI, has signed a three-year contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. for management of plant operations and maintenance at its facilities, which cover approximately 550,000 square feet. The contract will provide St. Camillus with $250,000 in annual cost savings and revenue enhancement during the term of the agreement. Under the contract, Johnson Controls is responsible for managing the security systems, housekeeping, and laundry operation. The company is also providing on-site management and maintenance personnel to oversee and perform all building maintenance, including HVAC equipment and operations, apartment turnover, building automation systems, electrical systems, plumbing, utility management, and grounds and construction management.
HPN wishes you well this holiday weekend!
Have a safe and happy holiday and we’ll see you June 1 with more daily updates!
Thursday, May 27, 2004
In this Issue:
Hospital supply prices may rise sharply
Aetna sues Abbott over AIDS drug price hike
Study questions blood-test results on prostate
cancer
Study finds IV fluids equal
Frost &
Sullivan: MRI to replace X-rays for angiography
Hospital supply prices may rise sharply
Unless crude oil prices stabilize at substantially lower prices, U.S. hospitals could see further erosion in their operating margins due to large price increases for many products, warns Joe Colonna, CEO of Seattle-based Strategic Initiatives In Healthcare, LLC (SIH), a firm specializing in non-labor expense management. According to Colonna, “Many of the products used by hospitals are derived from crude oil, especially the myriad of disposables. We are watching this situation very carefully because it can ripple throughout the supply chain. While temporary fluctuations in crude oil prices are usually absorbed by the manufacturers, if crude oil prices remain near $35. a barrel, I cannot imagine how manufacturers could maintain decent profit margins without increasing prices. The real dilemma for manufacturers is the contracts they have with many group purchasing organizations are based on firm prices for a specific period. Already, we expect to see many prices to increase sharply when current contracts expire and those increases will be attributable to raw material costs incurred prior to the recent upturn in crude oil prices.” “If crude oil prices remain at or near their current levels, hospitals may want to reconsider their past decisions to convert to disposables for the sake of expense reduction”, Colonna said. SIH sees the role of supply chain and material managers expanding dramatically in the near future to assist their organizations with the management of all non-labor expenses.
Aetna sues Abbott over AIDS drug price hike
Health insurer Aetna Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories Inc. for raising the price of its AIDS drug, Norvir, by 400 percent, said an Aetna lawyer. Aetna is seeking class-action status, and is the first health insurer to join the price hike battle. Filed on Tuesday in federal court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, the suit alleges antitrust violations and seeks an unspecified amount of damages from Abbott. The suit follows a National Institutes of Health hearing on Tuesday which considered invoking a 1980 law to grant licenses for cheaper, generic versions of Norvir years before the patent expires.
Study questions blood-test results on prostate cancer
A new study being published in the New England Journal of Medicine is raising questions about the results of P.S.A. blood tests as a screening for prostate cancer. The P.S.A. test looks for prostate specific antigen, a protein released by prostate cells. P.S.A. levels in the blood tend to rise when the prostate gland enlarges. The test was initially used to look for recurrences of cancer after men had been treated. In the 1990's it became popular as a screening test to find new cancers. Cancer experts generally agreed that when a P.S.A. test finds more than four nanograms of the protein in a milliliter of blood, doctors should recommend biopsies to see if cancer is present. When a biopsy finds cancer, almost all men opt for treatment, usually surgery or radiation. The study reports that as many as 15 percent of men with P.S.A. levels less than 4 had cancer when their prostates were assessed with biopsies. While higher P.S.A. levels confer greater risk, there appears to be no level at which there is no risk of prostate cancer, said the lead investigator, Dr. Ian M. Thompson, chief of urology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. The study, which involved 2,940 men aged 62 to 91, was not designed to show what cutoff should be used for P.S.A. levels. In the study, among the men with P.S.A. levels less than 4 whose biopsies showed cancer, 14.9 percent had high-grade cancers.
A study by Australian and New Zealand investigators finds it makes no difference whether saline or albumin, a component of human blood, is used to resuscitate critically ill patients. The findings published in the May 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine said the risk of dying was no higher among intensive care patients who got albumin than among those who received saline. The "Saline versus Albumin Fluid Evaluation" (SAFE) is said to be the largest study ever attempted in intensive care. The study was prompted by 1998 research published in the British Medical Journal that suggested albumin caused an increased death rate among critically ill patients. Investigators recruited almost 7,000 patients who had been admitted to 16 intensive care units (ICUs) in Australia and New Zealand. The patients randomly received either 4 percent albumin or normal saline for fluid resuscitation over the course of 28 days or until they were discharged or died. There were 726 deaths in the albumin group, vs. 729 deaths in the saline group. The proportion of patients who suffered single- or multiple-organ failure was also similar. Researchers also found no significant difference in the number of days that patients spent in the ICU. The study provided limited evidence that treatment with saline may be better for patients with brain injuries and that albumin may be the safer choice for patients with severe infections. The authors said further study is needed to determine whether one fluid or the other is better for special populations of critically ill patients.
Frost & Sullivan: MRI to replace X-rays for angiography
According to a Frost & Sullivan report, cardiac MR will soon replace the traditional x-ray as the preferred imaging modality in the field of Cardiac Angiography with a recent breakthrough in the Cardiac Imaging Field. MR imaging technique can now be used to capture the images of blood flow through the vessels. The data acquisition and imaging can be obtained by adjusting the radio frequency of the scanner. This “tags” the protons present in the water of the blood cells which can be viewed as they pass through the scanner’s plane. This is a non-invasive method, meaning introduction of contrast media is completely avoided. The images obtained from this method are identical to that of x-ray angiography. This technique is called Global Coherent Free precession. It can be used to provide anatomic information such as stenotic severity and effects of stenosis of blood. The MRI equipment manufacturers only need to provide a specialized software and the same equipment can then be used for routine clinical procedure. Once this is done it would be advantageous to the healthcare providers as they could use the same MR scanner for normal and also for cardiac scanning instead of x-ray angiography.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
In this Issue:
Hospitals collaborate to save $22 million in
supply
chain costs through Premier program
Doctors' neckties can harbor
bacteria
GAO report on antibiotic resistance
Court rules that Medtronic
infringed Interpore patent
Hayes report on carotid artery
stenting for
treatment of carotid artery stenosis
HIGPA’s GPO members self-certify
compliance with code of conduct
Hospitals collaborate to save $22 million in supply
chain costs through Premier program
Hospitals participating in a supply chain improvement collaborative project through the Premier alliance have reported $22 million in savings from process improvements in areas such as contract administration, the cardiac cath lab, pharmacy, and perioperative services. The Third Annual Supply Chain Collaborative Breakthrough Series involved teams from 28 leading healthcare organizations. Six teams reported savings of more than $1 million each. Total savings were 65 percent higher than the original goal. Said Premier's Gay Wayland, R.N., vice president, Supply Chain Knowledge Transfer, “Traditionally, the director of materials management and the perioperative services director rarely get a chance to collaborate. This project really opens the door of the OR for the materials manager.” The Supply Chain Collaborative Breakthrough Series is an annual initiative available to members of Premier, Inc. Among the hospitals achieving savings of more than $1 million were St. Francis Hospital, Tulsa, OK ($4.7 million) and Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, IL ($1.1 million). Later this summer, Premier will make publicly available a white paper documenting the methods used by participants to achieve the savings. The fourth annual Supply Chain Collaborative Breakthrough Series starts in September.
Doctors' neckties can harbor bacteria
Reuters Health reports that a presentation at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, held this week in New Orleans, showed that neckties worn by doctors were eight times more likely to harbor pathogens than those of hospital workers not normally in contact with patients. While working at New York Hospital in Queens, lead author Steven Nurkin, a medical student at the American-Technion Program at the Bruce Rappaport Facility of Medicine in Haifa, Israel, noticed that physicians' neckties often come into contact with patients or their bedding, reports Reuters. He and his colleagues swabbed 42 neckties worn by physicians who regularly saw patients and 10 neckties worn by security personnel. Twenty of the clinicians' neckties carried pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Aspergillus. Only one security guard’s tie carried a single pathogen, S. aureus. To reduce the risk of disease transmission, Nurkin suggests switching to bow-ties; using tie tacks that hold ties to physicians' shirts; decontaminating ties with a “high quality detergent spray that wouldn't ruin the tie” or using a “necktie condom.” Nurkin's group is considering further studies with larger sample sizes to confirm their findings.
GAO report on antibiotic resistance
The General Accounting Office (GAO) has released the following report: Antibiotic Resistance: Federal Agencies Need to Better Focus Efforts to Address Risk to Humans from Antibiotic Use in Animals. Among GAO recommendations are that FDA expedite its risk assessments of drugs that are used in animals that are critical for human health; and USDA and HHS develop and implement a plan to collect data on antibiotic use in animals. The full report, GAO-04-490, is available at http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-490. Highlights of the report can be found at http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d04490high.pdf
Court rules that Medtronic infringed Interpore patent
Interpore Cross International Inc. said on Tuesday a California court ruled that Medtronic Inc. infringed its patent over spinal screws used for implants. The United States District Court for the Central District of California still must rule on Medtronic's counter-claim that the patent is not valid, and other matters, before any remedies will be considered, Interpore Cross said. A motion to determine the issue of validity of the patent and Medtronic's other defenses is set for July 12.
Hayes report on carotid artery stenting for
treatment of carotid artery stenosis
Hayes, Inc. has released its report on carotid artery stenting (CAS) for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis. The HAYES report provides an in-depth assessment of CAS, which is being studied to see if it is effective in reducing blockage within a carotid artery and if it prevents further clogging. Criteria defining when and for whom carotid artery angioplasty with stenting should be recommended have not been established. However, there is good evidence that CAS is effective in treating patients who have symptoms of carotid artery atherosclerosis and severe clogging, or 50% to 70% blockage, of a carotid artery. No specific CAS system has received Food and Drug Administration approval to date. This report cautions that CAS is not recommended for patients with: clogging of a carotid artery that also involves a blood clot blocking blood flow; atherosclerosis within a carotid artery that cannot be reached with the catheter; or any condition that does not allow angiography to be performed. Additional information in the report includes safety issues, cost-effectiveness, analysis of unpublished data, and FDA approval status of other types of stents and embolic protection devices that are approved for other indications. A summary of the report is available at www.hayesinc.com/summary/carotid.
HIGPA’s GPO members self-certify compliance with code of conduct
The Health Industry Group Purchasing Association (HIGPA) announces that all of its 28 American-based group purchasing organization (GPO) members have self-certified compliance with the Association’s GPO Code of Conduct Principles. The purpose of HIGPA’s Code of Conduct is to strengthen and improve the delivery of products and services to healthcare providers. HIGPA’s Code of Conduct is the only enforceable business ethic requirement for the healthcare industry; all other codes of conduct are on a volunteer basis. The Association’s Board of Directors and HIGPA’s membership made the Code of Conduct self-certification process a requirement for membership.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
In this Issue:
Hospitals across nation receive bioterrorism funds
Developments in medical device
testing
WHO agrees to launch anti-obesity campaign
Hill-Rom introduces new
PrimeAire(R) ARS Pressure Relief Mattress
Jefferson Regional Medical Center
converts to Masimo SET oximetry
ISMP celebrates 10th anniversary
as non-profit corporation
Consorta moves headquarters
Hospitals across nation receive bioterrorism funds
Michigan is getting $16 million to help hospitals take precautions against bioterrorism, natural disasters and infectious diseases. New Jersey will receive nearly $14 million in federal anti-terrorism funds. The federal grants announced by the federal Department of Health and Human Services are part of $498 million in nationwide funding. Recipients will be facilities expected to deal with large numbers of casualties during an attack. Grant recipients also will use the money to coordinate disease reporting among hospitals and health departments and to enhance coordination between hospital- and public health-based labs. Funds also can be used to provide trauma and burn care, to buy communications equipment and protective gear, and to provide behavioral health services. Among other grants announced, Minnesota will receive $8.5 million; Wisconsin will receive $9.1 million, Iowa will get $5.4 million and South Dakota, $2.1 million.
Developments in medical device testing
Join NAMSA on July 15 - 16 in Framingham, MA for Developments in Medical Device Testing. This seminar and workshop provides the most current information required by regulatory bodies for market approval of medical devices and component materials. Topics covered include Biocompatibility, Materials Characterization, Sterilization Methods, Program Design, and Packaging Validation. Anyone involved in the design, development, or manufacture of medical devices will benefit from attending. For more information or to register, contact Rachael Lanning at 419-662-4397 or visit us online at www.namsa.com
WHO agrees to launch anti-obesity campaign
The United Nations' health agency agreed to launch a global campaign against obesity, blamed for an increase in deadly chronic diseases worldwide. The Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health was backed by the policy committee of the World Health Organization's annual assembly. The plan recommends limiting intakes of fats, sugar and salt, blamed for a rise in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. These chronic diseases account for nearly 60 percent of the 56.5 million deaths a year around the world that are considered preventable, according to the WHO. According to the World Heart Federation, 1.1 billion adults and 22 million children under age five are obese, worldwide.
Hill-Rom introduces new PrimeAire(R) ARS Pressure Relief Mattress
Hill-Rom has a new pressure-relief mattress designed to help in the prevention and early treatment of pressure ulcers. The PrimeAire(R) ARS Pressure Relief Mattress features non-powered, air-based technology to provide performance superior to traditional foam mattresses. The mattress provides hospitals and long-term care facilities with many of the benefits of high-performance surfaces, at a lower cost. With several features designed to relieve pressure on the patient's skin, the PrimeAire(R) ARS Pressure Relief Mattress helps reduce the risk of pressure ulcers forming, particularly in sensitive areas such as the heel. Along with enhanced performance, the mattress is also engineered to improve safety and comfort. The mattress uses an Air Reflex(TM) system in which multi-chambered air cylinders gently expand and contract with patient movement, providing continually equalized pressure without the power source used to distribute pressure in high-end treatment surfaces.
Jefferson Regional Medical Center converts to Masimo SET oximetry
Jefferson Regional Medical Center (JRMC), a not-for-profit public 470 bed hospital serving South Arkansas, has recently standardized on Masimo SET (Signal Extraction Technology) oximetry hospital-wide. JRMC cited improved monitoring during high motion and poor perfusion, and overall cost-savings, as key reasons for the conversion.
ISMP celebrates 10th anniversary as non-profit corporation
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), the nation’s only nonprofit organization devoted entirely to medication error prevention and safe medication use, is celebrating its 10th anniversary of incorporation this year. ISMP has successfully advocated for improvements in drug names, labeling and packaging, technology, and medication practices that have led or could lead to medication errors. One example is stopping the direct administration of lidocaine concentrate prefilled syringes. Each year, the national Medication Errors Reporting Program (MERP), now operated by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) in cooperation with ISMP, receives nearly 1,000 error reports from healthcare professionals. During its year-long anniversary celebration, ISMP will hold regional and national celebration events, publishing a historical retrospective on its work, and giving lectures/presentations on the past and future of medication safety. For more information, visit www.ismp.org.
Consorta, Inc. will move its headquarters from its current suburban Chicago location in Rolling Meadows to Schaumburg, Ill., effective May 24. Consorta’s new address will be: Consorta, Inc., Schaumburg Corporate Center, 1475 East Woodfield Road, Suite 400, Schaumburg, IL 60173, 847-592-7800 phone, 847-592-7801fax. Consorta’s new headquarters will provide more room for operations, and will create additional space for the operations of Consorta Custom, which develops customized supply chain solutions for larger healthcare systems.
Monday, May 24, 2004
In this Issue:
U.S. Senate backs $5.6 billion bioterror bill
CDC awards $49 million for HIV
prevention
Vaccine expert, Paul F. Wehrle, dies
First central
Michigan
hospital implements
bedside barcode solutions
Pascack Valley Hospital
selects Misys Healthcare Systems
Consorta contracts with Freedom
Medical
for biomedical equipment rental
U.S. Senate backs $5.6 billion bioterror bill
Legislation to encourage drug, vaccine and medical-device makers to develop countermeasures against bioterror attacks has passed the U.S. Senate. The $5.6 billion 10-year Project BioShield program creates incentives for research and helps guarantee a market for treatments, antidotes and vaccines that would otherwise not find a viable commercial niche. The government will use the funds to encourage research and to purchase and stockpile vaccines or treatments for potential bioterror agents such as smallpox, anthrax, botulism and ebola. The bill also will encourage more research in both the public and private sectors.
CDC awards $49 million for HIV prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded a total of $49 million to 142 community-based organizations for efforts to prevent HIV infections. The organizations will use the funds to implement HIV prevention interventions, counseling, voluntary HIV testing and referral services, and health education and risk reduction. Averaging $345,000 each, the awards support a CDC initiative launched last year to reduce new HIV infections. For more on the initiative, visit http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm.
Vaccine expert, Paul F. Wehrle, dies
Dr. Paul F. Wehrle, a pediatrician and researcher who helped diagnose and devise treatments for polio, smallpox and other infectious diseases, died May 11 in San Clemente, CA, at the age of 82. The cause was complications following a long illness, said a son, Dr. Malcolm Wehrle of La Canada, CA, reports the New York Times. In the 1950's, Paul Wehrle worked on clinical trials of the Salk polio vaccine. From 1961 to 1988 he was chairman of the department of pediatrics at the medical school of the University of Southern California. From 1969 to 1970, he took a year's leave from the university to join the World Health Organization's efforts in eradicating smallpox throughout the Third World. In that year, he conducted a study of an outbreak of smallpox in a German hospital that helped establish that virus particles of the disease could be carried through the air to infect other people, reported the Times.
First central
Michigan
hospital implements
bedside barcode solutions
Care Fusion announced an agreement with Central Michigan Community Hospital (CMCH) to provide barcode technology solutions to be implemented throughout the hospital. CMCH contracted with Care Fusion for a comprehensive suite of products including: wCareMed™ to support medication administration, allergy warnings, safety alerts and complex IVs; wCareCollect™ to verify and label lab specimens; wCareAssist™ to record vital signs and patient care information; wCareView™ for a consolidated view of patient data; and wCareCapture™ for point-of-care billing for supplies and inventory control.
Pascack Valley Hospital selects Misys Healthcare Systems
Misys Healthcare Systems announced that it has signed an agreement with Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood, N.J., to purchase Misys Optimum clinical information management solutions including Misys CPR, Misys Data Warehouse, Misys Media Manager, Misys Laboratory and Misys Encompass. Pascack Valley Hospital will employ the Misys CPR fully integrated computer-based patient record information system with CPOE in order to improve quality of care and patient safety including medication error reduction.
Consorta contracts with Freedom Medical
for biomedical equipment rental
Consorta has selected Freedom Medical, Exton, PA, as one of its providers of medical equipment rental services. The available equipment includes a variety of monitors, pumps and other devices for patient care in acute or long-term care settings. Freedom currently has 17 rental locations and is rapidly expanding.
Friday, May 21, 2004
In this Issue:
Cardinal Health buys Alaris
Medical Systems
Doctors seek to run
Tenet hospital
FDA ruling regulates
tissue and cell donors
CA health plan drops 38 hospitals
from network
House defeats bill that would
require hospitals
to report undocumented immigrants
Walgreens launches health
education campaign
Cardinal Health buys Alaris Medical Systems
Cardinal Health Inc. has agreed to acquire Alaris Medical Systems for $1.6 billion to expand its line of medication safety products and its geographic reach, the companies said on Wednesday. Under the deal, expected to close by June 30, Cardinal will make a cash tender offer to buy all outstanding Alaris common stock for $22.35 per share. Including Alaris debt being assumed by Cardinal, the deal is worth $2 billion, the companies said. Alaris develops and markets systems for the safe delivery of intravenous (IV) medications, and holds long-term contracts to provide necessary, disposable products for use in those systems. It also provides a suite of professional, technical and training services to more than 5,000 hospitals and healthcare systems worldwide. In 2003, Alaris launched 19 new products into this market and expects to launch at least 20 more in 2004. Alaris’ bedside safety offerings in IV medication and infusion therapy complement Cardinal Health’s medication safety offerings at the patient’s bedside. The Alaris Medical Systems Medley™ Medication Safety System is a modular point-of-care computer that integrates infusion, patient monitoring and clinical best practice guidelines in a single platform. Upon completion of the acquisition, David L. Schlotterbeck president and chief executive officer of Alaris Medical Systems will continue to lead Alaris operations, reporting to Cardinal Health President and Chief Operating Officer George L. Fotiades; Alaris will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Cardinal Health.
Doctors seek to run Tenet hospital
Doctors at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, a Tenet Healthcare Corp. hospital scheduled to close June 30, are proposing to keep the facility open as a not-for-profit institution, said Pennsylvania officials. A spokeswoman for Gov. Edward Rendell said that funding from benefactors to keep the hospital open has already reached $10 million, and could triple. According to Reuters News Service, a cardiologist who heads the Association to Save MCP said her group is raising an additional $45 million from healthcare financing companies. The Association to Save MCP sued Tenet to prevent the hospital from closing in March, keeping the hospital open through June.
FDA ruling regulates tissue and cell donors
Under proposed new Food and Drug Administration regulations, virtually all donated tissues and cells, including sperm and stem cells, must be screened for diseases from syphilis to SARS. Since 1993, the Food and Drug Administration has required that muscles, tendons, skin and eye tissue donations be tested for hepatitis B and C and for the AIDS virus. The new rule regulates reproductive tissue, hematopoietic stem cells derived from cord blood and peripheral blood sources, cellular therapies and other innovative products. The new rule also extends the scope of protection against communicable diseases that can be transmitted through transplanted tissues and cells, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, syphilis and, for relevant tissues, human T-cell lymphotropic virus, and the bacteria that cause chlamydia and gonorrhea. The rule, which is open for comment, would also give FDA the option of imposing screening requirements for emerging new infections such as West Nile virus and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The rule, effective May 25, 2005, is available at www.fda.gov/cber/rules/suitdonor.pdf.
CA health plan drops 38 hospitals from network
In an effort to control costs, the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) board voted 10-1 yesterday to exclude 38 hospitals from its largest HMO network. The California Healthcare Association said that patient demand, the rising number of uninsured, state mandated staffing ratios and seismic safety regulations were more to blame for rising costs. Among the excluded hospitals are Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, hospitals in San Diego's Sharp HealthCare system, Northern California's Sutter Health hospitals, and Orange County's Hoag Memorial Hospital.
House defeats bill that would require hospitals
to report undocumented immigrants
The House voted 331-88 on Tuesday against a bill that would have required emergency department physicians to report undocumented immigrants that they treat and deny most types of emergency care to them. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), would require hospitals that accept federal funds to treat undocumented immigrants, to ask patients whether they are U.S. citizens. Hospitals would have to report to the Department of Homeland Security the immigration status, address and employer of a patient who is not a U.S. citizen.
Walgreens launches health education campaign
Walgreens announced a new health education program to help consumers find health services and discounts, with a focus on the new Medicare discount cards. The education campaign is designed to reach consumers in stores, online and in the community. Currently, Walgreens is working with the American Library Association and U.S. Health and Human Services to provide Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) educational materials on the new Medicare discount cards to consumers at all of the nation’s 16,400 libraries. Other Walgreen information initiatives include training pharmacists to address current issues, offering health information online at www.walgreens.com through an arrangement with Mayo Clinic Health Information, and providing prescription labels in 14 different languages.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
In this Issue:
Three drug makers to combine HIV
drugs
Bill could
allow CA oral surgeons
to perform cosmetic surgery
Gene increases breast cancer
risk
CryoLife receives FDA approval of
new
delivery system for surgical adhesive
Three drug makers to combine HIV drugs
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences Inc. and Merck & Co. Inc. said they are discussing the development of a combination of three anti-HIV drugs, after U.S. officials urged drug companies to provide better treatment options in developing countries. The companies said the once-daily, fixed-dose combination would include Viread and Emtriva, both Gilead drugs. It would also include efavirenz, marketed in the U.S., Canada and certain European countries by Bristol-Myers as Sustiva, and elsewhere by Merck as Stocrin. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson has announced an expedited approval process for the combination drugs. Gilead, Merck and Bristol-Myers said they are also considering certain co-packaging options for the individual products. GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim also said they are in talks to assess co-packaging of anti-retroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV.
Bill could allow CA oral surgeons
to perform cosmetic surgery
This week, a subcommittee of the California State Legislature is expected to approve Senate Bill 1336. If enacted, the bill would make it legal for dentists with training in oral surgery to perform cosmetic surgery on the face. “The whole thing is so audacious that I have trouble controlling myself,” said Dr. Harvey A. Zarem, the president of the California Society of Plastic Surgeons. If the bill is approved it will be up for approval as a law later this year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. There are about 6,600 plastic surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery; most estimates suggest that there are three to four times that number of practitioners performing cosmetic surgery without board certification. The dentists seeking the new privileges are oral and maxillofacial surgeons. The oral surgeons argue that because of their training repairing bones and structures of the jaw and face, they should be allowed to perform the procedures that physicians do, said Dr. P. Thomas Hiser, president of the California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
Gene increases breast cancer risk
Scientists have identified another gene which increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. An international study of 20,000 women found having a faulty version of the CHEK2 gene doubles their cancer risk. The American Journal of Human Genetics study said the findings could help aid in the development of a comprehensive genetic test of breast cancer risk. Two other faulty genes, BRCA1 and BRCA 2, which increase a woman's breast cancer risk by between 50 and 80%, were identified in the mid-1990s. A mutated version of CHEK2 would not allow shutdown of faulty cells so they can be repaired, meaning faults in other genes are more likely to evade the body’s repair process and continue replicating. The variant was found in 201 women with breast cancer and 64 healthy women. From these figures, the researchers suggest having the faulty variant more than doubles a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, whether or not there is a history of the disease in the family.
CryoLife receives FDA approval of new
delivery system for surgical adhesive
CryoLife, Inc., a
human tissue processing and surgical device company, today announced the
FDA approval of a new disposable delivery system for BioGlue Surgical
Adhesive. The new BioGlue Syringe is expected to provide clinicians with
improved convenience and ease of use. The BioGlue Syringe provides
surgeons with an effective adhesive in an easier-to-use, self-contained,
disposable syringe. The BioGlue Syringe will be available in 2ml and 5ml
volumes. BioGlue is a two-component adhesive that creates a flexible,
mechanical seal, independent of the body's clotting mechanism, within 20
to 30 seconds and reaches its maximum bonding strength in two to three
minutes. The Company's BioGlue Surgical Adhesive is FDA approved as an
adjunct to sutures and staples for use in adult patients in open
surgical repair of large vessels.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
In this Issue:
Hospital prices up 0.4% in April
Kentucky's
first West Nile infected bird this year
Study shows exercise lowers
employers' health costs
Quest International, Inc. introduces
mobile diagnostic quality images
St. Jude Medical receives
FDA approval for biventricular
pacemaker and left-ventricular lead
Hospital prices up 0.4% in April
Overall hospital prices rose 0.4% in April, and were 5.2% higher than a year ago, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices at general medical and surgical hospitals rose 0.5% and were 5.3% higher than in April 2003, according to the BLS' Producer Price Indices, which measure average changes in selling prices received by domestic producers for their output. For hospitals, this translates into actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services. The PPI for hospitals measure changes in actual or expected reimbursement received for services across the full range of payer types. This includes the negotiated contract rate from the payer plus any portion expected to be paid by the patient. For more, go to http://www.bls.gov/ppi/.
Kentucky's first West Nile infected bird this year
Kentucky's first bird with West Nile virus this year has been discovered in Ohio County. A mourning dove found earlier this month at Beaver Dam tested positive for the virus, which can be transmitted by mosquitoes to birds, horses and humans. The Green River District Health Department in Owensboro said the unusually warm spring encouraged mosquito breeding. Officials say they'll try to eliminate the mosquitoes by treating areas of standing water and spraying mosquito repellent. While milder cases of the virus cause flulike symptoms in humans, West Nile can lead to potentially fatal encephalitis. The state Department of Public Health reported 14 human cases of West Nile in 2003, with one death. The virus was also found in 102 horses and 111 birds last year.
Study shows exercise lowers employers' health costs
Researchers report that companies can save millions in healthcare costs by encouraging their employees to exercise a few times a week. They said that while obese employees have higher healthcare costs, by exercising a few days a week they can lower those expenses even without weight loss. Feifei Wang and colleagues at the University of Michigan studied 23,500 workers at General Motors. They estimated that getting the most sedentary obese workers to exercise would have saved about $790,000 a year, about 1.5 percent of healthcare costs for the group. Company-wide, the potential savings could reach $7.1 million per year, they reported in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Of the whole group of workers, about 30 percent were of normal weight, 45 percent were overweight, and 25 percent were obese. Annual healthcare costs averaged $2,200 for normal weight, $2,400 for the overweight, and $2,700 for obese employees. But among workers who did not exercise, healthcare costs went up by at least $100 a year, and were $3,000 a year for obese employees who were sedentary. But adding 20 minutes of light exercise two or more days a week lowered costs by on average $500 per employee a year.
Quest
International, Inc. introduces
mobile diagnostic quality images
Radiologists can now use their laptops to drive high resolution medical display monitors with uncompromised diagnostic quality images. Quest International, an Authorized Master Distributor for Totoku Medical LCD Monitors, has designed the Medical Docking Station (MDS) which permits a laptop computer to drive one or two external monitors up to 5 Megapixels. With a set of monitors at home and a set at the hospital or imaging center, a doctor may move freely between locations, carrying only a laptop and the MDS. The MDS interfaces with the internal PCI bus of the laptop computer via the Type II PCMCIA slot. The 32-bit PCI bus is then able to drive a high-resolution video card that is included in the MDS at the full 132MB/sec bandwidth of the PCI bus. Three models of the docking station are available, the MDS-2, MDS-3, and the MDS-5 for driving a pair of 2 megapixel, 3 megapixel and 5 megapixel LCD monitors respectively.
St. Jude Medical receives FDA
approval for biventricular
pacemaker and left-ventricular lead
St. Jude Medical, Inc. announced approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Frontier(TM) biventricular stimulation device (model 5508L) and Aescula(TM) left-ventricular lead, designed to improve cardiac functional capacity in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation undergoing AV nodal ablation. Approximately 37,000 AV nodal ablation (ablate and pace) procedures were performed in the U.S. during 2003. Health Research International projects an annual 18% increase in cases for each of the next five years. The procedure is usually recommended when rapid, unsynchronized atrial heart rhythms cannot be managed pharmacologically. The St. Jude Medical Frontier(TM) biventricular pacing system consists of the Frontier(TM) biventricular pacing device and the Aescula(TM) left-ventricular lead, which has been engineered to resist dislodgement while optimizing capture and sensing thresholds.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
In this Issue:
State employees get free Canadian drugs
Bill would give health accounts flexibility
Biophan announces development of long-life
biothermal battery
Compliance packaging system cuts med-pass
time in half, saves money
Lockheed Martin wins $47 million Military Health System contract
State employees get free Canadian drugs
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced a new program that will allow state employees to obtain certain prescription drugs for free if they order the medication from a state-inspected Canadian pharmacy. The program applies to 45 of the most popular name-brand medicines that do not have generic alternatives. State officials estimate savings of $1.4 million a year because the drugs can be purchased for less in Canada. About 120,000 employees and their dependents would be eligible. The state would cover shipping fees, along with the $15 monthly co-payments that are required for each prescription if employees buy their medicines from U.S. pharmacists. The governor cautioned that the program carries risks, explaining he hoped it would not invite a government crackdown on drug imports.
Bill would give health accounts flexibility
People who set aside salary in tax-free accounts for health bills could shift unused funds into the next year or long-term health savings accounts under legislation approved Wednesday by the House. The legislation, approved 273-153, is one of three measures that Republicans are pushing during a week of increased focus on healthcare and the uninsured. The bill would allow up to $500 left over at the end of one year to be used for health care expenses in the next year or invested in the health savings accounts that were created in last year's Medicare law.
Biophan announces development of long-life biothermal battery
Biophan Technologies, Inc., a leading developer of next generation biomedical technology, announced that it has acquired a majority interest in TE-Bio, LLC, a company developing a long-life power source for use in implanted medical devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, neurostimulators, and drug pumps. The technology is based on a patented innovation in the utilization of thermoelectric materials, using nanoscale-based, thin-film materials to convert thermal energy produced naturally by the human body into electrical energy. The resulting power can be used to "trickle charge" batteries for medium-power devices such as defibrillators, or directly power low-energy devices like pacemakers. TE-Bio is developing an implantable power system that has the potential to provide as much as a 30-year life, a five-fold increase in service life compared to existing technology. The technology is anticipated to extend the service life of neurostimulators and drug pumps that are used for treatment of tremors, diabetes, and chronic pain. Since these devices can be implanted in young patients, the combination of TE-Bio technology and extended device life may reduce the number of replacement implants needed throughout a patient's life.
Compliance packaging system
cuts med-pass
time in half, saves money
AmerisourceBergen has developed a pharmacy-based medication packaging system that can reduce med-pass time by up to 50 percent and improve overall facility efficiency. The AutoMed Technology compliance packaging system dispenses patient medication in continuous strips of individual unit-dose or multi-dose packets. The flexible, easy-tear packets are tamper-proof, can be labeled with a barcode, and contain oral solid medications in the correct dose, sequenced by administration time. Packets are collated by the time of day and patient, so caregivers only pull doses needed for the immediate medication pass, eliminating the need to stage the next dose or rotate medications and saving time. The unique packaging solution eliminates the need for bulky cassettes or hard-to-open blister packs as well as any manual filling or labeling. Optional barcoding allows bedside verification, which can help reduce errors associated with improper dosing and/or drug administration. When utilizing the AutoMed compliance packaging system, administration cycles are virtually unlimited, from a cycle as short as 24 hours to 90 days or longer.
Lockheed Martin wins $47 million Military Health System contract
Lockheed Martin has won a $47.8 million contract to develop and integrate software applications for the Department of Defense's Theater Medical Information Program (TMIP), Block 2. The program calls for the interoperability and integration of data from several existing DoD Military Health System medical applications so that standard electronic medical records can be generated and maintained in theater under a variety of conditions. These records must then be transportable electronically or manually with a military patient to central DoD healthcare facilities. The data are also consolidated and made available to commanders in near real time through the Global Combat Support System (GCSS).
Monday, May 17, 2004
In this Issue:
Canada
detects new bird flu case
SC likely to impose ASC moratorium
Ellen Curran, RNC, CEN named 2004 Telenurse of the
Year
St. Jude Medical introduces new lead delivery
tools for CRT
Good Samaritan hospital recognizes
national alcohol awareness month
Canada detects new bird flu case
Canadian authorities have discovered a new case of bird flu in a duck and goose farm in western Canada, but health officials said it is probably not the strain that has killed 24 people in Asia. “Preliminary serology tests have found an H5 virus,” Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) spokesman Marc Richard said, but he added that it is too soon to say whether it is the deadly H5N1 strain found in Asia.
SC likely to impose ASC moratorium
South Carolina's state Department of Health and Environmental Control might put a moratorium on the building and expanding of ASCs for at least a year, according to published reports. A provision slated to be included in a draft of the 2004 state health plan will be introduced to state Health Planning Committee June 3. State law requires that the health plan be updated at least every two years. Since 2001, the state health plan has mandated that, before approval could be granted for a new ASC, all existing ASCs in a county had to be licensed and operating for one year to determine the utilization levels for those ASCs. “Our state association met last week to plan a strategy to challenge the moratorium when it goes to public hearings,” says Jo-Ann Pinel, RN, CPN(C), the director of nursing at Palmetto Surgery Center in Columbia, S.C., and a SCASCA officer. “We are seriously considering hiring a lobbyist. I now truly believe this is the first step in an attack on the viability of ASCs.”
Ellen Curran, RNC, CEN named 2004 Telenurse of the Year
IntelliCare, a provider of medical contact center services and technology, announces that Ellen Curran, RNC, CEN has been named the 2004 Telenurse of the Year, and that Beth Roehm, RN has been named finalist. IntelliCare launched the Telenurse of the Year award this year to recognize outstanding achievement in the rapidly growing field of telenursing. “Because our nurses deliver care via the phone, they develop a unique set of skills for assessing and building relationships with patients,” says Victor C. Otley III, CEO of IntelliCare. The Telenurse of the Year award is open to nurses employed by IntelliCare or by the company's software clients. A panel of industry experts evaluated the nurses' contributions in three areas: improving the patient experience; contributing to the advancement of the telenursing profession; and pursuing professional growth as a telenurse. Ellen Curran, an IntelliCare employee, has been a practicing nurse since 1978. She has extensive experience in emergency medicine and case management and became a telenurse in 1993. Beth Roehm, RN, of St. Louis Children's Hospital in St. Louis, MO, has been a nurse for 25 years, and has been a telenurse for nearly five years.
St. Jude Medical introduces new lead delivery tools for CRT
St. Jude Medical, Inc. announced the global launch of the Apeel(TM) CS Catheter Delivery System and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance of the Reflexion Cannulator(TM) Catheter with Lumen. These tools are designed to enable faster, easier placement of the left-ventricular (LV) lead for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and biventricular pacing procedures. The St. Jude Medical Apeel(TM) CS Catheter Delivery System offers design features that help physicians during the LV lead implant procedure; from a selection of curves to handle varying patient anatomies, to the ability to remove the sheath without the need for cutting tools. For patients whose cardiac anatomy creates an unusual challenge, the St. Jude Medical Reflexion Cannulator(TM) Catheter with Lumen gives physicians an additional tool to aid LV lead placement. This catheter provides both steerability for added control and a lumen that will accommodate guidewires or contrast injection, helping users visualize and access targeted areas in their patients' hearts.
Good Samaritan hospital
recognizes
national alcohol awareness month
In recognition of National Alcohol Awareness Month in May, Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, NY has developed a series of programs and seminars focused on education and treatment. Many of the programs will focus on the special needs of people over the age of 60. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than one-half of American adults have a close family member who has or has had alcohol-related problems. Recent statistics have indicated that approximately three million people over the age of 60 have a problem with alcohol and do not give the disease the attention it needs. It has been shown that alcohol is responsible for more than 70 percent of hospital admissions and hospitalizes more people in this age group than heart attacks. Throughout the month, Good Samaritan will be offering informal screenings for alcohol abuse and dependency, as well as information and education about the disease of alcoholism.
Friday, May 14, 2004
In this Issue:
Pfizer pleads guilty, to pay $430
million in illegal marketing case
U.S. FDA warns Fujisawa about drug
ads
Bush names national AIDS adviser
Florida hospital installs new
mammography software
Thousands to receive free vascular
screening
Pfizer pleads guilty, to pay $430 million in illegal marketing case
Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, pleaded guilty yesterday and agreed to pay $430 million to resolve criminal and civil charges that it paid doctors to prescribe its epilepsy drug, Neurontin, to patients with conditions that the drug was not federally approved to treat. Of that settlement, $26.64 million will go to a former company adviser who brought a lawsuit under a federal "whistleblower" law. The company encouraged doctors to use Neurontin in patients with bipolar disorder, even though a study had shown that the medicine was no better than a placebo in treating the disorder. Other disorders for which the company illegally promoted Neurontin included Lou Gehrig's disease, attention deficit disorder, restless leg syndrome and drug and alcohol withdrawal seizures. Nearly 90 percent of the drug's sales continue to be for ailments for which the drug is not an approved treatment, according to recent surveys. Pfizer, in a statement yesterday, said that the illegal marketing had been conducted by Warner-Lambert before Pfizer acquired that company in 2000.
U.S. FDA warns Fujisawa about drug ads
Fujisawa Pharmaceuticals ran an advertisement failing to warn consumers that its drug to treat transplantation complications posed risks of infection and malignant tumors, U.S. regulators said in a letter Thursday. The Food and Drug Administration said a January ad placed in two medical journals by the Japanese drug maker's U.S. division, Fujisawa Healthcare, did not note important side effects of its drug Prograf. Prograf suppresses the immune system to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. Possible problems include an increased susceptibility to infection and malignant tumors in lymphatic tissues or lymphoma. The letter is available at http://www.fda.gov/cder/warn/2004/12327Prograf.pdf.
Bush names national AIDS adviser
President Bush has named his acting AIDS adviser, Carol J. Thompson, as head of the Office of National AIDS Policy. Thompson has held the post on an interim basis since August. Before that, she was a White House domestic policy adviser and worked at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She replaced Joseph O'Neill, whom Bush had named deputy coordinator of a new office that coordinates response to the global AIDS pandemic. Thompson helped to enact and implement Bush's five-year, $15 billion plan aimed at stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Florida hospital installs new mammography software
Sarasota
Memorial Hospital (Sarasota, FL) is one of the first facilities in the U.S. to
install a new mammography software upgrade that enables its KODAK DRYVIEW 8900
Laser Imaging System to print radiographic film images from full-field digital
mammography (FFDM) systems. With the new software, Sarasota Memorial's 8900
imager can print images from its two FFDM systems with up to 3.6 D-max on both
8x10” and 10x12” KODAK DRYVIEW Mammography Laser Imaging Film. The imager also
prints radiographic film images from MR, CT, CR, ultrasound and other digital
medical imaging modalities. Prior to the mammography upgrade, the hospital used
the KODAK DRYVIEW 8610 system for digital mammography output. The 8900 system's
mammography upgrade provides test patterns that can be printed on demand to aid
in the stringent quality control required by accreditation and regulatory
agencies.
Thousands to receive free vascular screening
The American Vascular Association announced it is offering free vascular disease screenings to thousands of Americans around the country in an effort to educate the public about vascular disease detection and prevention. The free screenings will take place on the third annual National Screening Day, held this year on May 14. More than 10,000 Americans die each year of vascular disease-related afflictions; strokes due to carotid artery disease are the number one cause of disability in this country and the third-leading cause of death; and rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) is the tenth-leading cause of death in men over 50. The tests will include a carotid duplex ultrasound scan for carotid artery disease, an ultrasound aortic scan for abdominal aortic aneurysms, and a Doppler test for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Participants also will have their blood pressure measured and their heart rhythm recorded.
Thursday, May 13, 2004
In this Issue:
W.H.O. sets AIDS goal
Woman dies from Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease
Study finds equal success in cancer treatments
RITA Medical Systems and Horizon
Medical Products
announce merger agreement
University to develop and commercialize HIV
resistance drugs
Dr. Julie Louise
Gerberding, Director of CDC
to be APIC guest speaker
The World Health Organization said in its annual report that AIDS was the leading single cause of death worldwide for people ages 15 to 59. In 2003, three million people died of AIDS and five million people were infected with H.I.V., the agency reported. Lee Jong Wook, the director general of the W.H.O., called for a dramatic increase in the supply of antiretroviral drugs to treat H.I.V. He said in the report, which is to be presented next week in Geneva, that less than 7 percent of the six million people with H.I.V. in developing countries were thought to have access to treatment. Lee said the agency set a goal to distribute antiretroviral drugs to three million H.I.V. patients in sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2005.
Woman dies from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
As reported by New York’s News 10 Now, a woman diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a rare disease similar to Mad Cow, has died. No one is sure how Cindy Hildreth of Central Square contracted CJD, but hospital officials say the illness can take twenty years to appear after exposure. University Hospital administrators reported a confirmed case of the disease to state and local health officials last month. The hospital maintains there is no risk to hospital employees or the public. CJD, as it is known, can only be acquired through exposure to central nervous system tissue. CJD affects about one in every million people.
Study finds equal success in cancer treatments
A decade-long study comparing conventional colon cancer surgery with laparoscopic surgery found identical success rates. The biggest comparison of th